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Widow of slain man first witness in murder trial of Timothy Huber

WILLMAR — Debra Larson, the Albertville woman left widowed by her husband Timothy Larson’s shooting death, was the first witness called by prosecutors this morning in the murder trial of Timothy Huber.

Larson described her husband as an outdoorsy man who played “about every sport” who was always going so much that she couldn’t keep up with him.

Under questioning by Kandiyohi County Attorney Jenna Fischer, Larson described the last time she talked with her husband, the evening before he was shot and killed in October 2011. The 11-minute call included that Tim Huber was on Larson’s father’s property fixing something and that Tim Larson had asked Huber to leave several times but that Huber would not leave the rural Belgrade property.

Debra Larson testified that Tim Larson told her that he had told Tim Huber that two of his friends were coming to the place to hunt the next day, in an effort, she assumed, to get Huber off the property. Debra Larson also said she knew one of the men was out of state at the time.

Larson also testified that her husband was also frustrated with his father, Norman Larson, because Norman had allowed cows to graze on corn specifically planted to attract deer for hunting. The corn was planted on Tim Larson’s land, a 40-acre parcel that Norman Larson had previously owned just southeast of Norman’s homestead.

Huber, 47, of Paynesville, and his father, Delbert, were indicted on first- and second-degree murder charges in the case. Larson, 43, a special education teacher, was killed Oct. 8, 2011, on his father’s rural Belgrade property after a confrontation with the Hubers.

During his August plea hearing in the case, Delbert Huber admitted that he pointed a loaded 303 British Enfield rifle at Larson and pulled the trigger during the confrontation. He claimed during his sentencing hearing in September that his son had nothing to do with the shooting and that Timothy Huber was doing farm chores when the killing occurred.

The elder Huber was sentenced to 367 months in prison, the maximum possible sentence for second-degree murder. As part of a plea agreement, the first-degree indictment against Delbert Huber was dismissed.

Delbert Huber is expected to take the stand this afternoon.

The trial is expected to last about two weeks and is before District Judge Donald M. Spilseth in Kandiyohi County District Court. Fischer and assistant county attorneys Dain Olson and Chris Jensen are prosecuting the case and Huber is represented by two public defenders, Stephen Ferrazzano and Carter Greiner.

Gretchen Schlosser is the public safety reporter, and writes about agriculture occasionally, for the West Central Tribune. She's been with the Tribune since 2006 and has 17 years of experience working in news, media and communications.